Type casting mold and the characters cast thereby



Nov. 10, 1936. E, H, DENBY 2,060,662

TYPE CASTING MOLD AND THE CHARACTERS CAST THEREBY Filed April 25, 1956 Fig. 5 Eg. 4 I F1g. 5

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INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 10, 1936 TYPE CASTING MOLD AND THE CHARAC- TERS CAST THEREBY Edwin H. Danby, New York, N. Y.

Application April 25,

17 Claims.

This invention relates to type casting molds and particularly, to molds for the casting of socalled slotted type, and also relates to the type cast by such molds.

lAttempts have been made heretofore to correct the bad spacing between characters when certain combinations of letters occur in the printing of words. Such attempts include kerning as used in monotype and linotype characters, as

i well as hand or machine slotting of precast type,

their side surfaces.

Kerning, however, is principally objectionable in that the type cast by this method contains unsupported and comparatively thin side projections which are subject to breakage under the stresses of use in handling, thereby resulting in defective printing. The hand or machine slotting, recessing, or Igrooving of the side faces of the type, while to some extent compensatory and remedial of normally incorrect spacing, is objectionable because of its high cost and uncertain results.

My invention therefore contemplates the provision of attachments for the usual type casting mold, which attachments or fillers, as they will be hereinafter termed, are interchangeable and cause the formation of recesses in the side surfaces of selected upper and lower case characters ci a font of type to decrease the width oi the type at predetermined areas.

My invention further contemplates the provision of means whereby a mold of the usual form becomes adapted for the casting oi my new slotted type without the necessity for using a new mold for each of the characters, or for each group of similarly slotted characters, the same mold being useable for the casting not only of unslotted type but also for the casting of all the various groups of slotted type in the same font.

My invention further contemplates the provision of type characters so provided with slots at the proper places and of the proper sizes to adjust, control and so space characters in certain combinations that such characters are brought closer to each other and thereby to provide the proper spacing between them without necessity for use of any skill, judgment, thought or other operations on the part of the compositor or user of the type.

My invention further contemplates the provision of slotted type characters wherein the depth and width of the slot are so precomputed and prearranged that the type characters automatically become properly arranged and spaced when i936, serial No. 76,383

(c1. ies-91) the type is set in accordance with predetermined and simple rules.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows, and from the drawing, in which,

Fig. l is a perspective lview of a type casting mold to which my invention has been applied, the matrix being omitted for the sake of clarity.

Fig. 2 is a similar `fragmentary view of the same, showing the mold attachment or filler used in connection with the casting of the letters F and (P.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same, showing the mold attachment or filler used in connection with the upper case letters T, V, W, and Y.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the same, showing the mold attachment or ller used in connection with the casting of the upper case character L.

5 is a similar View of the same, showing the v mold attachment or ller used in connection with ythe casting of the upper case letter A.

Fig. 6 is asimilar View of the same, showing the mold attachment or ller used in connection with the casting of the lower case characters shown in Fig. 8."

Fig. '7 is an end elevational view of certain slotted upper case .type characters.

Fig. v8 is a similar view of certain slotted lower case type characters.

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectionfof a typical mold filler member.

Fig. 9a is a similar View of a modified form of the same.

Fig. l0 is an elevational view of two lines of print containing upper case and lower case characters and showing how the slotted character type is used in connection with other characte'rsof afont of type in various combinations.

In the practical embodiment of my invention, a moldas I 'of the usual form customarily used for the casting of type is provided with a mold cavity I I, said mold cavity having a fixed bottom wall I2, a fixed si-de wall I3, a removable cover III, and a xed rear wall I5. The cavity II at a surface opposite to and spaced from the wall I3 is normally kclosed by the depending wall II 0f the cover Ill, said wall II being parallel to the wall I3. The cover is provided with a projecting portion I6 resting on the mold surface I2, and with a wall I8 parallel to and spaced upwardly from the wall I6 and forming the top wall of the mold cavity Il. Suitable means are provided for adjusting thephorizontal distance between the walls I3 and I'I to cast type of various widths in a manner which is well understood and hence need not be shown nor described.

If unslotted type characters are to be cast, there is no difference in the method of casting the unslotted type over the methods now employed. Nor is there any material difference in the structure of the mold when unslotted type is to be cast.

When, however, slotted type such as the upper case characters of Fig. 7 or the lower case characters of Fig. 8 are to be cast, then the space between the mold walls I1 and I3 is partly filled with selected suitable llers as 2B, 2I, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26 (Figs. 2 to 6 inclusive). Each of said fillers comprises a suitably shaped bar of suitable material such as for example, tool steel which resists the heat of the casting operation. The filler is of the same height and length as that of the mold cavity, but its thickness may vary considerably.

However, the filler is slotted or recessed to provide a recess having a depth and height bearing a denite predetermined ratio to the face height of the type in all of the fillers, which depth and height has been worked out after prolonged experimentation and study to give the best results for all the various fonts of type and the various most used alphabets.

In determining the depth of the slot or recess, I have devised a unit of measurement which I will term a module, A module is defined as a distance equal to one-eighth of the face height of an upper case character or letter. The total height of the type is usually about twelve modules. Having determined the size of the module it will be understood that the various letters or characters of an alphabet are each a denite number of modules in width and that while the Y size of the module may change in the various point sizes or fonts of type of a certain alphabet, the number of modules for any one character remains unchanged in the different fonts. It will further be understood that when a selected combination of characters are assembled to form a line of type, the number of modules in the line including the spaces between letters and words and the punctuation marks remains unchanged for a selected alphabet regardless of the point size of the type. This permits computation of the length of the line rapidly and regardless of the particular point size of the type used.

Similarly, the depth of the recess or slot, while varying in size in the different fonts or point sizes, still contain the same number of modules. I have found that said depth is preferably approximately one-half module or in other words, approximately one-sixteenth of the face height of the character. Similarly, I have found that the height of the recess should be for practical purposes and to give the best spacing for various alphabets about three modules.

It Will be understood that for type smaller than 14 point, the depth of the recess becomes too small for proper interlocking of the type, and my invention is therefore particularly applicable to large point sizes. In such sizes, the spacing comes out so badly, and the trouble of altering the type to correct it, is so great that for big displays, type must frequently be discarded entirely, and resort must be had to drafting the letters manually and reproducing them by suitable processes other than type printing.

As shown in Fig. 2, the ller 20 is decreased in thickness at the upper part 30 thereof so that apar-reca when said ller is placed at the left of the mold cavity as illustrated, a slot or recess 3I is formed in the type for the upper case letters F and P. Similarly, the fillers 2| and 22 are decreased in thickness above as at the slots 33 and 34, respectively, (Fig. 3), to produce the respective slots 35 and 36 of equal size on the upper case letters T, V, W, and Y.

The filler 23 (Fig. 4) is provided with a recess 31 extending inwardly beyond the remain-der of the inner face 38 of said filler. Said recess 31 is substantially the same height as the thicker portions of llers 20 (Fig. 2) and fillers 2l and 22 (Fig. 3). The depth of said recess 31 is equal to the depth of the recess 33 and consequently is of the proper size to receive the projecting part such as that provided on the filler 2l below the recess 33. Said ller 23 is therefore used in the casting of the upper case letter L providing a slot 39.

Referring to the fillers 24 and 25, these llers may be identical with the ller 23 and are used together, as shown in Fig. 5, for the casting of the upper case letter A, producing the corresponding slots 4D and 4I.

The filler 26 (Fig. 6) is used for all of the slotted lower case type and is identical in arrangement and size with the ller 25, thereby producing slots as 42 in each of the slotted lower case letters a, e, o, u, r, s, w, and y, as shown in Fig. 8. Each of the lllers is provided with an opening as 5D therein, through which opening is passed the screw 5I. Said screw enters a correspondingly threaded opening 52 in the wall I1 of the mold cover` I4 or a similar opening 53 in the opposite wall I3 of the mold.

It will thus be seen that to the wall I 'l of the mold cover may be secured any of the fillers 22, 25 or 25, depending on which character is to be cast, and to the wall I3 may be secured any of the llers 2D, 2|, 23 and 24 when it is desired to cast certain characters.

It will further be understood that the mold cover I4 is adjustable relatively to the remainder of the mold to produce a mold cavity II of the exact required size for the casting of type, slotted or unslotted, of the desired width.

When the type has been cast in the slotted form described above and shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the slots 39, 4U, 4I, and 42 are of the proper size to receive those parts of other slotted type which lie above the slots 3|, 35 and 35.

At the front of the mold cavity as viewed in Fig. 1, the usual type matrix is arranged so as to close the front end of the mold and to permit the molten metal to enter the matrix to cast the character in relief on the type in the usual and well known manner, which therefore need not be further described nor illustrated.

Out of the twenty-six upper case letters, only the eight shown in Fig. 7 need slotting, the slots being arranged as shown. Of the lower case letters, the eight characters shown in Fig. 8 only need slotting, being slotted by means of a short slot at the upper left corner. Of the upper case letters, the widths of the type for the upper case characters F, P, T, V, W, and Y are decreased by the slots 3l, 35, 3S and the like, while the widths of the type for the upper case characters L and A and for the lower case characters are decreased by the slots 39, 40, 4I, and 42.

In setting up my new type for the proper spacing between characters, the compositor need only remember that the slotted type is used only when the character A comes before or after T, V, W,

and Y; when the character L comes before said letters T, V, W, and Y; when F or P comes before A; and when lower case letters a, e, o, u, r, s, w, and y come after the capitals F, P, T, V, W, and Y.

It will be seen that by means of my invention, it becomes possible to use a single mold for the casting either of slotted or unslotted type and that for slotted type, all that need be done is to removably attach the proper filler or fillers on the `proper side of the mold cavity by means of the screw or screws provided for that purpose. It will also be seen that only eight upper case and'eight lower case letters need be lcast in slotted type for any alphabet in addition to the unslotted type; that the projections and slots of the various type interlock in certain combinations, which would otherwise be badly spaced, to cause proper spacing; that the rules for the use of the slotted type when the occasion arises are simpley and easily understood and remembered; that the compositor need not exercise his own judgment, nor need the type be mutilated to obtain proper spacing since such spacing is automatically obf tained; that the unit of measurement for the amount of slotting or recessing is practically fixed as to width and depthby the height of the letter face whereby my invention is applicable to a wide variety of alphabets; and that I have provided a mold and type which will meet the severe requirements of practical use.

While I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, I do not intend to limit myself thereto but intend to claim my invention as broadly as may be permitted by the state of the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a type casting mold having a mold cavity and an adjustable cover for the cavity, detachable means for varying the shape and width of the mold -cavity comprising a filler plate having a recess throughout the length and extending partway across the width of the inner face thereof, and means for detachably connecting the ller to one-of the side walls of the mold cavity.

2. A type casting mold having a mold cavity provided with a xed side wall and a xed bottom wall, an adjustable cover for the mold cavity, said cover having a wall comprising the top wall of the cavity and having a second wall comprising the other side wall of the cavity, and means for changing the shape of the side walls of the cavity comprising a filler plate having a recess extending throughout the length of the inner face thereof and partway across the height of said inner face, and threaded means adapted to pass through the filler plate and into one of said side walls to removably secure said plate to a selected side wall of the cavity.

3. The combination with a type casting mold having a xed side wall and a xed bottom wall comprising part of the mold cavity, a cover adjustable toward and from said side wall, said cover having a side wall parallel to the first-mentioned side wall and having a second wall forming the top-of said'cavity, and means for changing the shape of one of said side walls for the production of slotted type of a selected width, said means including a filler plate having a recess of predetermined height and depth therein, and threaded means for removably securing said filler plate to a selected one of the side walls of the cavity.

4. The combination with a type casting mold adjustable in width and having a mold cavity, of a pair of filler plates, and means for detachably securing a selected filler plate to a selected side wall of the mold cavity, each of said filler plates having a recess therein, the depth of said recess being approximately one-half of a module, the length of said recess being equal to the length of said plate, the height of the recess in one of said plates being approximately three modules and in the other of said plates being approximately nine modules, a module being defined as a distance equal to one-eighth of the face height of the upper case character cast in said mold.

5. A ller plate for a type casting mold having a cavity, said ller plate being removably attach-- able to the side wall of the mold cavity fo-r adapting the mold for the casting of slotted type therein, said filler plate having a recess throughout the entire length thereof, the height and depth of the recess bearing, respectively, predetermined ratios to the face height of any upper case character cast in said mold.

6. The combination with a type casting mold having a mold cavity, of a set of ller plates for adapting the mold for the casting of slotted type, the ller plates for the casting of the upper case letters F, P, T, V, W and Y each having a recess on the inner face thereof extending through the length of said inner face and having an approximate depth of one-half module and an approximate height of three modules, the filler plates for the casting of the upper case letters A and L and the lower case letters a, e, ol, u, r, s, wi, and y having a recess on the inner face thereof, the height of the last-mentioned recess being equal to the difference between the height of the cavity and the height of the first-mentioned recess, each of said filler plates having an opening extending through the thickness thereof, and a screw adapted to be passed through said opening and into a selected side wall of ythe mold cavity for removably securing one or more selected ller plates to one or more of the side walls of the cavity.

'7. Means for adapting a type casting mold having a mold cavity for the casting of slotted type therein comprising a filler plate having a recess in one face thereof equal in length to the length of the cavity, and means yfor removably securing said ller plate in the mold.

8. A ller plate attachment for a type casting mold, said filler plate having a recess therein, the depth of which is approximately one-half module, said recess extending a predetermined distance from an edge thereof toward the other edge thereof, and providing a space into which molten metal can ilow.

9. A font of type for the automatic attainment of correct spacing between characters on the cornposition of said characters comprising a conventional fo-nt of characters having plane side faces, additional upper case characters F and P said additional characters being slotted on one of the side faces thereof to provide an overhanging portion extending from the top partway toward the bottom thereof and throughout the entire length thereof, additional upper case characters T, V, W, and Y having similar overhanging portions on both side faces thereof, additional upper case characters L and lower case characters a, e, o, w, r, s, wf, and y having slots on one of the side faces thereof equal in size to said overhanging portions, each of said slots and overhanging portions being approximately one-half module in depth and approximately three modules in height.

10. A font of type comprising selected upper and lower case characters each having a slot extending throughout the length of one of the side faces thereof, and from the top partway toward the bottom thereof, additional selected characters each having a slot extending from the bottom partway toward the top thereof and providing an upper overhanging portion on one of the side faces thereof identical in size and position with the size and position of that of said rst-mentioned slot, additional selected characters having slots on both of the side faces thereof each identical in size with that of said first-mentioned slot, and additional selected characters having slots identical in size with that of said second-mentioned slot and providing upper overhanging portions on both of the side faces thereof, each of said slots and overhanging portions being approximately one-half module in depth and approximately three modules in width.

11. The method of composing lines of type of at least fourteen point size comprising inserting in the line a slotted upper case character A before or after a correspondingly slotted upper case character T, V, W, and Y when the character A comes before or after T, V, W, and Y as the case may be, and after the upper case characters F and P when the characters F and P come before A, and inserting in the line a slotted character L before slotted upper case characters T, V, W, and Y when the upper case L cornes before said upper case characters T, V, W, and Y and also inserting in the line a slotted lower case character a, e, o, u, r, s, w, and y when any of said lower case characters come after an upper case character F, P, T, V, W, and Y.

12. The method of composing type of at least fourteen point size to automatically space said characters correctly, and to permit the computation of the finished length of the line regardless of the point size of the type used comprising: selecting the desired characters from a font of conventional characters unslotted on their side surfaces and selecting the desired characters from upper case characters F and P each having a slot providing an overhanging portion of predetermined size on one face thereof and upper case characters T, V, W, and Y each having a slot providing an overhanging portion of identical size on both side faces thereof and also selecting the desired lower case characters a, c, o, u, r, s, w, and y each having a slot identical in size with said overhanging portion on one of the side faces thereof, said selection of slotted characters being carried out as follows: when A comes before or after T, V, W, and Y, when F and P come before A, when L comes before T, V, W, and Y, or when the lower case characters a, e, o, 1', s, w, and y come after the upper case characters F, P, T, V, W, and Y.

13. A font of type of at least fourteen point size comprising conventional characters unslotted on their side surfaces, additional upper case characters F and P each having a slot providing an overhanging portion of predetermined size on one face thereof, upper case characters T, V, W.

and Y each having a slot providing an overhanging portion of identical size as that of said rst-mentioned portion on both side faces thereof, and lower case characters a, e, o, u, 1', s, w, and y each having a slot identical in size with that of said overhanging portion on one of the side faces thereof, the overhanging portions of certain slotted characters being adapted to fit into the slots of certain other slotted characters to interlock the characters in the cases where the upper case character A comes before or after the upper case characters T, V, W, and Y, when the characters F and P come before A, when the lower case characters a, e, o, u, r, s, w, and y come after the upper case characters F, P, T, V, W, and Y, or when the upper case character L comes before said upper case characters T, V, W, and Y, said intertting slots and overhanging portions being each approximately one-half module in depth and approximately three modules in height, a module being defined as oneeighth of the face height of an upper case character.

14. The combination with a type casting mold having a mold cavity, of a pair of filler plates each having a recess throughout the length of the inner face thereof for the reception of molten type metal, said recess being approximately a half module in depth, the recess of one of said plates extending from the bottom edge thereof toward the upper edge thereof for a distance of approximately nine modules and the recess in the other filler plate extending from the top edge thereof toward the bottom edge a distance of approximately three modules.

15. A filler plate for a type casting mold having a cavity, said ller plate being removably attachable to a wall of the cavity for adapting the mold for the casting of slotted type therein, said filler plate having a longitudinally extending recess in one of the faces thereof.

16. In a type casting mold having a mold cavity, detachable means for varying the shape and width of the mold cavity comprising a filler plate having a longitudinally extending recess in one of the faces thereof, and means for detachably securing the ller plate to a wall of the mold cavity with the recess arranged in an innermost position.

1'7. The method of making and composing type of at least fourteen point size comprising casting slotted case characters a, e, o, u, r, s, w, and y, casting correspondingly slotted upper case characters F, P, T, V, W, and Y, casting the slotted upper case character L and when composing type inserting in the line of type a slotted upper case character A when the character A comes before or after T, V, W, and Y, or when the characters F and P come before A, inserting in the line a slotted character L when the upper case L comes before said upper case characters T, V, W, and Y and inserting in the line a slotted lower case character a, e, o, u, T, s, w, and y when any of said lower case characters come after an upper case character F, P, T, V, W, and Y.

EDWIN H. DENBY. 

